


Eclecticon Writing Exercise

by zvi



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Action, Angst, Other, sentient!atlantis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-11-16
Updated: 2005-11-16
Packaged: 2017-10-02 02:09:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zvi/pseuds/zvi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The least happy dream about his Mom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eclecticon Writing Exercise

**Author's Note:**

> Story prompt from a plot game at Eclecticon:
> 
> 1\. Character A tells Character B that, "The mission is the most important thing in my life."  
>  2\. Character B receives a ransom note saying, "Stop the mission or Character B bites it.  
>  3\. Character B reacts to this by ???

John dreams in bed at night. His dreams are detailed, lively, real — but they make no sense. His mother loves him in these dreams, loves and understands him the way she had not, would not, could not. His mother rejected him three times: when he joined ROTC, when he helped Susie Wentmiller abort his baby, when he told her he was gay.

John Sheppard feels his mother's love at night and weeps because it is real, a real lie. "I love my job," he tells her. "I love Ronon Dex. He's here with me in this bed. I love this city and flying her ships and exploring the universe. I love what we do here to save this galaxy."

He waits for her love to disappear and it doesn't. He wakes up with a wet face and Dex pretends not to see.

* * *

The Genii call to say they've had enough, that they want a halt put to the stumbling of the interlopers and the NeoLantians must go back to the galaxy from which they came or else Sheppard, McKay, Emmagan, and Ronon's corpses will come through the Atlantis gate.

Weir doesn't know what to do. Caldwell and Lorne insist that they (a) can't negotiate with terrorists, (b) can't believe the Genii, and (c) wouldn't get McKay back even if they cooperated, and he's the only truly useful one.

Weir drafts a script for her response to the Genii's demands on a computer networked to Atlantis.

The city starts to shutdown. All areas are closing, herding the entire expedition to the gate room. Zelenka tries to fix it, and he gets so close, but unexpected electrical discharge kills him on the brink of his success.

Finally, the shields in the gateroom push everyone through the gate, which has dialed itself to the Pegasus' largest ring. The shield for the city's gate is considerately raised behind them.

When the Genii call back, no one answers. It's not really the Genii establishment behind the kidnapping. This is a renegade op being run by Kolya with too few people, so he has to bring the prisoners with him when he investigates the city. The Genii lock the SGA team in a secure brig and explore the city.

It kills them. One by one they fall: electrocution, poison gas, oxygen deprivation, even one drowning. When she's killed them all, Atlantis releases John, and by consequence, the others.

She speaks through an avatar program and asks John if he still doubts his mother loves him. He asks where everyone else is. The city's response is oddly Rodney-esque, huffy and put upon. She takes control of Pegasus' rings to transport the expedition back. Everyone is safe, but she leaves his dreams.

John still wakes up crying.


End file.
